lynch



3 H. C N V.. L DD H METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOB OOATING PIPE.

No. 561,712. Patented June 9, 1896.

fr f/ www Anokzw B GHANAMJNUYS'LITHG wAsmNGmn n L:

{No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. B. LYNCH. METHOD OP AND APPARATUS FOR GOATING PIPE.

No. 561,712. Patented June 9, 1896.

(No Modek.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. Bt LYNCH. METHD OP AND APPARATUS PGR COATING PIPE.

No. 561,712. Patented June 9, 1896.

UNITED STATES lPATENT muon,

' II'ARRY B. LYNCH, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EDB'IUN D O. CONVERSE, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COATING PIPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,712, dated June 9, 1896.

Application led March 14, 1895. Serial No. 541,712. (No mdeli) To all wtont z5 muy concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY B. LYNCH, a resident of Mcleesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus for Coating Pipe;

' and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the coating of pipe and bar with metal, such as the galvanizing or calamining of the pipe, or coating it with other substances in an analogous way.

The usual way of coating pipe heretofore practiced has been to pass the pipe lengthwise into a metal-bath for somewhat over onehalf its length and pass the other end thereof into the metal-bath slightly beyond the point at which it had previously been coated. This method, besides making a double coating on the central part of the pipe, which was objectionable because it rendered the coating irregular and of different thickness, required the double handling of each separate pipe, so increasing the cost. The difficulty in handling the pipe was that it required to be inserted at an incline to expel the air or any steam generated from possible moisture in the pipe from the interior thereof', which would not only prevent the proper coating but under the sudden hea-ting might so expand as to scatter the metal and lead to accident; but the pipe required to be drained of the coating-metal, and therefore the regular way of handling was that above described.

I have devised a method of coating the pipe and an improved pot in which the work can be much more rapidly and expeditiously performed, the pipe being dipped in bulk instead of separately. In practicing my invention I place the pipe (either a number of them, in handling small pipe, or, foi-large pipe, a single pipe) above the coating-bath, and I then lower one end into the metal while supporting the opposite end thereof, so as to coat that end of the pipe and permit the expulsion of the air therefrom, and I then lower the other end of the pipe into the bath and force that end down, so causing the metal to flow through the pipe from the end first inserted to the end last insert-ed, and I then raise one end of the pipe to an inclined position out of the bath and draw the coated pipe longitudinally at an iueline from the bath. For this purpose I prefer to employcertain apparatus, the principal part of which is a crank mounted at the sides of the pot and adapted to receive and support one end of the pipe and to lower it into and raise it from the metal in the pot. The particular improvements desired to be covered will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a coatingtank embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing the piece of pipe when first lowered into the pot` Fig. 3 is a like View showing the pipe when entirely immersed within the pot. Fig. e is a like View showing the pipe raised from the pot in position to be withdrawn therefrom, and also showin g a fresh body of pipe placed above the pot ready to be lowered into the same for coating. Fig. 5 is across-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2, and Fig. G is a cross-section on the line 6 G, Fig. 3, Ashowing the positions of the pushing-lever employed to force the pipe into the coating-bath; and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sec` tion of the pot where two cranks are employed therein.

Like letters indicate like parts in each figure.

In practicing my invention I prefer to employ a coating-pot of the general construction illustrated in the drawings, though it is to be understood that in practicing the method above pointed out any form of apparatus suitable for the purpose may be employed.

The coating-pot a is formed of plate metal and is supported on beams or pillars c in the furnace b, which may be of any suitable construction. Mounted on thc supporting-walls, within which the pot and furnace are builtsuch, for example, as in the bearings d ejis the crank g, which extends down into the. pot, close to the side walls c thereof, the crank portion being of such length that it will swing close to the bottom a2 thereof, and its shaft extending through the bearing e close to the side wall of the tank and thence IOC through the bearing f, and carrying at its inner end the gear-wheel 7L. Mounted in the bearings e and f, above the crank-shaft r, is the hand-wheel shaft t', carrying the handwheel 'i' and also the pinion i?, meshing with the gear-wheel h on the crank g, and so providing for the turning of the crank. To hold the crank in any desired position, such as Where it is supporting the pipe when raised or partially raised from the pot, as shown in Fig. 4, a suitable pawl 7L is mounted in position to engage with the gear-wheel 7L and hold the same from turning. Supported at one side of the pot is the bearing k, in which is mounted the pushing-lever Z, carrying the pusher m, which is pivoted to the pushinglever in such position that it can be forced down into the pot and operated to push and hold down the pipe which is desired to be dipped or immersed. The pusher m has a broad shoe or base portionm, as more clearly shown in Fig. G. 'lhe'pushing-lever Z is also provided with a weight n at its inner end, by which it is normally held out of the pot. For the purpose of guiding the pipe into proper position before they are immersed I also provide the abutments p on the side of the pot opposite to that along which the pipe are fed thereto.

In practicing my invention in a pot of the above construction the usual course is to place across the top of the pot a couple of ordin ary bars r s, resting on pillars t on the potwalls and extending out beyond the side wall of the furnace, so that they can be handled by the workmen, and then, if coating small pipe, to passa certain number of pipe on the top of these bars, sometimes as high as thirty. Then these pipe are to be immersed, the operator managing the crank g then raises the crank until it lifts the front ends of the pipe from the bar r, when that bar is withdrawn, and while the pipe is supported on the other cross-bar s the front ends of the pipe are lowered into the molten metal, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the front ends of the pipe are coated with metal and the metal starts to flow upwardly through the same in such way as to coat the interior of the pipe and expel the air and any moisture therefrom. The pipes naturally slide a little forward, and the rear cross-bar s is then easily withdrawn by turning it slightly, and this permits the rear ends of the pipe to pass down into the metal. In so doing they gradually sink into the metal, permitting the flow of the molten metal up through the pipes and expelling all the air or moisture therefrom; and to insure the forcing of the rear ends of the pipes down into the molten metal the operator then grasps the pushing-lever and forces the pusher m down yonto the pipe or pipes, forcing the rear ends down toward the bottom of the pot, so that they are entirely submerged in the metal, as shown in Fig. 3. The crank g is then raised so as to raise the front ends of the pipe out of the metal, as shown in Fig. 4, holding the rear ends thereof down by means of the pusher, if necessary, and then the pipes, when in this inclined position, are grasped by tongs and drawn longitudinally and at an incline out of the bath, the crank itself acting as a support for the pipes in proper position for drawing the same from the bath of molten metal, the pipes, of course, being drained of the molten metal as they are withdrawn from the bath. If preferred, the rear ends of the pipe may be first lowered into the metal and the front ends subsequently immersed, and the front ends then raised from the bath in position to bc withdrawn, and cranks may, if desired, bc employed at each end of the pot. This is illustrated in Fig. 7, which has the same crank g at one end of the pot and at the other end of the pot has the crank j, operated by like mechanism, so that the pipe may be built up on these cranks above the metal-bath and either end lowered first int-o the metal. In this way, by dropping one end of the pipe down into the metal and iirst immersing that and then forcing the other end down and immersing it,

I am enabled to immerse the pipe for coating in a tank but little longer than the entire length of the pipe, and then, by raising one end of the pipe from the metal, to bring it into proper position for drawing longitudinally and at an incline from the bath, which is found to be the most desirable position for the draining of the metal. It is evident also that as there is no double coating of any part of the pipe a much more even and regular coating thereof is obtained.

The pipe can be very rapidly coated for two reasons: First, if it is of but small size, it may be dipped in bulk-that is, as high as thirty pipes at a time-instead of the old custom of dipping one pipe at a time; second, while the coated pipes are being Withdrawn from thc pot, as shown in Fig. 4, the pipe next to be coated can be brought directly over the top of the pot by simply placing in position the cross-bars fl' and s and sliding the pipe transversely of their length over the pot and against the abutments p, the next charge or body of pipe t-o be dipped being thus brought to position, so that as soon as the other charge has been coated and withdrawn it is only necessary to raise the crank g and lift the pipe from the cross-bar r, and after it is withdrawn lower those ends into the pot and proceed as above described. I am enabled in this way to more than double the output from any single pot.

The apparatus described is also simple in construction, and has the further advantage that there are no bearings whatever within the molten metal to be acted upon thereby, the only parts entering the metal being the crank portion of the crank-shaft and the pusher, both of which can be withdrawn from the pot for drossing or cleaning, if desired.

Vhile my invention is particularly adapted to coating with metal, both the method and apparatus described can well bc employed in IIO coating with other material, sueh as asphah tum, and it is intended to cover the invention when so nsed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The method of coating pipe or bar oonsistin g in bringing the pipe entirely over the bath, and then entering it into the bath by lowering one end thereof, then lowering the other end thereof, then raising one end from the bath, these movements being transversely of the length of the pipe, and then drawing the pipe longitudinally and at an incline out of the bath, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of coating pipe or bar, oonsisting in bringing the pipe entirely over the bath, and then entering it into the bath by lowering one end thereof, then lowering the other end thereof, then raising the end first immersed, these movements being transversely of the length of the pipe, and then drawing the pipe longitudinally and at an incline out of the bath, substantially as set forth.

3. The method of coating pipe or bar oonsisting of building a pile of pipe above the coating-bath and then lowering one end thereof into the coating-bath, then' lowering the other end, then raising one end from the bath, these movements being transversely of the .length of the pipe, and then drawing the pipe longitudinally at an incline out of the bath, substantially as set forth.

4:. The eombin ation With a metal pot or tank for Coating pipe or bar adapted to be lled with the Coating material, and means for heating said pot of a erank mounted on the pot and forming a rest or support for the pipe, and adapted to swing down and lower the pipe into the coating material in the pot, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a pot for Coating pipe or bar, of a crank mounted on the pot and adapted to swing down into the coating material therein, and a pushinglever mounted at the side of the pot and carrying a pusher adapted to pass down into the coating mate rial, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof l, the said HARRY B. LYNCH, have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY B. LYNCH. Witnesses JAMES I. KAY, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

